Watchworthy

4.6k voters

The TV Shows with the Best Writing

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated September 3, 2020 57.3k votes 4.6k voters 69.2k views201 items

List RulesVote up the television series with the most consistently great writing

What are the best written TV shows of all time? The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and TV Guide recently compiled its list of the 101 Best Written TV Shows ever, and the results left things wide open for debate. So, do you agree with the choices? Was there a show left off? Vote for the TV programs that you believe featured the strongest writing. Add any shows that you believe deserve votes, and of course, feel free to re-rank this list of TV series with the greatest writing in any order you choose.

Many of the television shows listed here are considered among the best TV shows of recent memory, and with good reason: They are wonderfully scripted, featuring diverse characters and compelling storylines that made us want to keep watching, week after week. They are excellent dramas, outstanding comedies and awesome science fiction TV shows. Some of the programs here are older, but they were considered by many to be groundbreaking.

What should be the number one best written TV show ever? Certainly outstanding shows like 'The Sopranos,' 'Mad Men' and 'Breaking Bad' could be considered. They are, after all, some of the greatest TV dramas of all time.

Photo:

...more

Try the free app

1
1,164
748
Breaking Bad
Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul
Premiered: 2008
Genres (Tv): Crime drama, Thriller, Neo-western, Tragedy
Breaking Bad (AMC, 2008) is an American neo-Western crime drama television series created by... more on Wikipedia
More Breaking Bad
16 'Breaking Bad' Deleted Scenes That We Just Found Out AboutThe Most Plausible Fan Theories About Breaking Bad
2
737
670
The Sopranos
James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco
Premiered: 1999
Genres (Tv): Crime drama
The Sopranos (HBO, 1999) is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase.... more on Wikipedia
More The Sopranos
The Best Characters on The Sopranos16 Small Details That Make 'The Sopranos' That Much Better
3
496
506
The Wire
Dominic West, Lance Reddick
Premiered: 2002
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama
The Wire (HBO, 2002) is an American crime drama television series created and written by David... more on Wikipedia
More The Wire
The Best of The WIRE CharactersThe Best Seasons of 'The Wire'
4
315
214
Better Call Saul
Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks
Premiered: 2015
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Drama, Comedy
Better Call Saul (AMC, 2015) is an American television drama series created by Vince Gilligan... more on Wikipedia
More Better Call Saul
All of the Breaking Bad Easter Eggs in Better Call SaulThe Best Characters On 'Better Call Saul,' Ranked
5
184
164
Fargo
Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman
Premiered: 2014
Genres (Tv): Comedy, Drama, Crime
Fargo (FX, 2014) is an American black comedy drama anthology television series created by Noah... more on Wikipedia
More Fargo
All The Coen Brothers Movie References In The 'Fargo' SeriesAll of the Clever Easter Eggs Hiding in Fargo the TV Series
6
494
507
The Office
Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson
Premiered: 2005
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Mockumentary
The Office (NBC, 2005) is an American mockumentary sitcom television series developed by Greg... more on Wikipedia
More The Office
Insane Fan Theories About 'The Office' That'll Blow Your MindJim Halpert Is A Scumbag, And It's Obvious If You Just Pay Attention
7
319
272
Frasier
Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves
Premiered: 1993
Genres (Tv): Sitcom
Frasier (NBC, 1993) is an American sitcom television series created by David Angell, Peter... more on Wikipedia
More Frasier
Dark Behind-The-Scenes Stories About 'Frasier'These Fan Theories From 'Frasier' Are Pretty Wild - But They Could Be True

8
539
594
Sherlock
Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman
Premiered: 2010
Genres (Tv): Crime drama, Mystery
Sherlock (BBC One, 2010) is a British crime television series created by Steven Moffat and... more on Wikipedia
More Sherlock
Small Details From 'Sherlock' That Only A Super Sleuth Would NoticeRanking the Best Seasons of 'Sherlock'
9
430
476
The West Wing
Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe
Premiered: 1999
Genres (Tv): Political drama, Drama, Serial drama
The West Wing is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin... more on Wikipedia
10
526
545
The Twilight Zone
Rod Serling, Robert McCord
Premiered: 1959
Genres (Tv): Anthology, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction
The Twilight Zone is a 1959 American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. It is... more on Wikipedia
More The Twilight Zone
Small Details From 'The Twilight Zone' That Make The Show Much Better#19 of 76 The Best CBS Shows of All Time
11
61
42
The Americans
Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys
Premiered: 2013
Genres (Tv): Period drama, Thriller
The Americans (FX, 2013) is an American period drama television series created by Joe... more on Wikipedia
More The Americans
Ranking the Best Seasons of 'The Americans'#99 of 239 The Greatest TV Shows for Women
12
496
537
Mad Men
Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss
Premiered: 2007
Genres (Tv): Period drama, Serial drama
Mad Men (AMC, 2007) is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner.... more on Wikipedia
More Mad Men
The Best Mad Men Characters of All TimeSmall Details From 'Mad Men' That Make The Show Even Better
13
142
101
Mr. Robot
Rami Malek, Carly Chaikin
Premiered: 2015
Genres (Tv): Drama, Techno thriller, Psychological thriller
Mr. Robot (USA Network, 2015) is an American drama-thriller television series created by Sam... more on Wikipedia
More Mr. Robot
Mr. Robot Easter Eggs'Mr. Robot' Has Inspired The Funniest Memes About Hacking On The Internet
14
190
206
Fawlty Towers
John Cleese, Prunella Scales
Premiered: 1975
Genres (Tv): Comedy
Fawlty Towers is a BBC television sitcom that was first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979.... more on Wikipedia
More Fawlty Towers
#67 of 305 The Greatest Sitcoms in Television History#205 of 640 The Best TV Shows To Binge Watch
15
556
455
House
Hugh Laurie, Omar Epps
Premiered: 2004
Genres (Tv): Medical drama
House, M.D. (Fox, 2004) is an American television medical drama created by David Shore. An... more on Wikipedia
More House
Small Details From 'House' That Make The Show Much BetterThe Best Seasons of 'House'
16
46
36
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Rachel Brosnahan, Michael Zegen
Premiered: 2017
Genres (Tv): Comedy-Drama, Period drama
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Video, 2017) is an American period comedy-drama web... more on Wikipedia
More
The Best Characters On 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'#9 of 638 The Best Original Streaming Shows of the Last Few Years
17
666
755
Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Premiered: 1989
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally ran for nine seasons on NBC from... more on Wikipedia
More Seinfeld
Dramatic Stories From Behind The Scenes Of 'Seinfeld'#10 of 474 The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
18
792
911
Game of Thrones
Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Medieval fantasy, Drama, Adventure film, Epic, Action
Game of Thrones (HBO, 2011) is an American fantasy drama television series created by David... more on Wikipedia
More Game of Thrones
All Of The Real Historical Parallels To 'Game Of Thrones'Real Historical Figures Who Inspired Game Of Thrones Characters
19
195
57
Anne with an E
Amybeth McNulty, Geraldine James
Premiered: 2017
Genres (Tv): Drama, Coming of age
Anne with an E (2017, Netflix) is a Canadian television series created by Moira... more on Wikipedia
More Anne with an E
#42 of 394 The Best New Shows That Have Premiered in the Last Few Years#4 of 434 The Best New Netflix Original Series of the Last Few Years
20
201
221
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner
Premiered: 1987
Genres (Tv): Action/Adventure, Drama, Adventure film, Action, Science Fiction
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by... more on Wikipedia
More Star Trek: The Next Generation
Famous People You Didn't Know Were On 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'14 Small But Fascinating Details Fans Noticed About Star Trek: The Next Generation
21
239
283
True Detective
Mahershala Ali, Matthew McConaughey
Premiered: 2013
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Drama
True Detective (HBO, 2014) is an American anthology drama television series created by Nic... more on Wikipedia
More True Detective
The Best Seasons of True Detective5 Writers to Read to Better Understand 'True Detective'
22
458
531
M*A*S*H
Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers
Premiered: 1972
Genres (Tv): Black comedy, Medical drama, Sitcom, Satire, Military
M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970... more on Wikipedia
23
120
131
Stranger Things
Winona Ryder, David Harbour
Premiered: 2016
Genres (Tv): Sci-fi, Horror, Supernatural, Period drama
Stranger Things (Netflix, 2016) is an American science fiction-horror web television series... more on Wikipedia
More Stranger Things
Who Would Be In 'Stranger Things' If It Were Cast In The '80s?16 Behind The Scenes Secrets From The Set Of 'Stranger Things'
24
73
59
3rd Rock from the Sun
John Lithgow, Jane Curtin
Premiered: 1996
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy, Science Fiction
3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is... more on Wikipedia
25
208
244
Firefly
Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres
Premiered: 2002
Genres (Tv): Space Western, Space opera, Drama, Comedy-drama, Science Fiction
Firefly is an American space western science fiction drama television series created by writer... more on Wikipedia
More Firefly
14 Fun Facts About Joss Whedon's 'Firefly' Even Diehard Fans Don't Know13 Crazy Yet Plausible Fan Theories About Firefly

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel